5 Spider-Man Replacement Finalists Include A Harry Potter Kid

Here we go again. Shortly after the news that Sony would be rebooting the Spider-Man franchise and replacing Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, rumors ran amok claiming everyone from Logan Lerman to Josh Hutcherson was a lock to portray the character. The rumor mill went quiet for awhile but tonight THR has turned the key on that engine again with a list of actors they claim are the top candidates to become the new webslinger.

None of the people listed are well known names. The most recognizable of the bunch are Josh Hutcherson and Jamie Bell. 18-year-old Hutcherson is probably best known for his work in Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D opposite Brendan Fraser. He had a bigger role in the underwatched Cirque du Freak last year as well. 24-year-old Brit Jamie Bell has had prominent roles in movies like Billy Elliott, King Kong, and Jumper. He’s also in Spielberg’s Tintin, which much like soccer and David Hasselhoff, I’m told will be big in Europe.

The other three on the list are less well known. Alden Ehrenreich is a 20-year-old Californian whose been in nothing you’re likely to have seen (unless you’re one of the cinephiles who saw Tetro). Frank Dillane is a 19-year-old Brit who played 16-year-old Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Andrew Garfield is the oldest of the bunch. A 27-year-old LA native he most recently stole scenes opposite Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Josh Hutcherson

Jamie Bell

Alden Ehrenreich

Frank Dillane

Andrew Garfield

Sony’s plan (let’s stop calling it Marc Webb’s plan… it can’t be his plan if Sony already had everything laid out before he was hired) is to take Spider-Man back to high school, and probably keep him there as long as possible in an effort to appeal more to Twilight-loving tweens. With that in mind you’d think they’d be casting as young as possible, which makes Josh Hutcherson and Frank Dillane the most likely candidates. Except Josh Hutcherson may be busy playing the lead in Journey to the Center of the Earth 2 now that Brendan Fraser is out. That was the story we heard earlier this week.

Meanwhile Andrew Garfield was really, really good in Doctor Parnasus and Jamie Bell has always seemed like a gifted actor right on the cusp of a breakout role. Unfortunately Garfield and Bell, while probably the best actors of the bunch, are also the two oldest and Sony seems to be all about getting younger at the webhead position.